Reclining chair



Jan. 3, 1939. J. w. CAMP BELL RECLINING CHAIR Filed April 1, 1938 k m1?[.9 59 E6 INVENTOR w ml.

u I 4 i I 7 UN. wwahegww n v Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE REGLINING CHAIR Jay W. Campbell, Cambridge, Ohio ApplicationApril 1, 1938, Serial No. 199,361 1 Claim. (01. 155-57) My presentinvention relates to chair construcno detailed description here. Suchwill be found, tions and more especially to reclining chairs which forexample, in my co-pending application Serial are utilizable as such andalso as conventional No. 177,486, filed December 1, 1937. Such chairschairs. include a conventional side rail H] on each side of Chairs whichare capable of being used both as the chair. The opposite side rails areconnected conventional chairs and as reclining chairs are by front railII and rear rail l2 in usual manner now well known. While many advanceshave to the seat framework of the chair. Each side been made in the lastfew years in connection rail i!) has a rear post l3 rising therefrom,from with such chairs, it has been found by experience which the back ofthe chair is formed. Each side that there is still room for improvement.Prior rail in also has at its forward end a suitable foot .10

chairs of this type have generally proved to have I5, and a reinforcingblock or piece It is generally certain undesirable qualities. Theseinclude unemployed at the intersection of the side rail and necessarilycomplicated structures, undesirably the front rail for the usualpurposes.

expensive structures, and structures which are My invention comprisesthe addition of certain apt to wear rapidly or to develop loosenesswhich structure to provide a tiltable chair. Secured to 15 partiallydestroys the utility of the chair. each side rail it on the innersurface thereof is a One of the objects of my present invention is toplano-concave shaped member Hi which is suitproduce a chair of thereclining type which is not ably secured to the side rail at points I!by any only simple in construction and inexpensive to desiredinstrumentalities. This member I6 is manufacture, but which is unusuallycompact and integral with the chair and moves therewith when .20 sturdyin its make-up. the same is tilted. The concave under-side of Anotherobject of my invention resides in the such member I6 is appropriatelycontoured in production of a tiltable chair the tilting structure orderto provide a continuous bearing surface [8 of which is in effect in ahousing, thereby resultwhich has a steeper slope at the front thereofing in a chair of extremely long and trouble-free than at the rear, thisarrangement providing new 25 life. and unusual qualities in connectionwith the oper- A further object resides in providing a stationation ofthe chair, giving the capacity to respond ary footed member for such achair which has quickly and instantly to the desires of the occurollerbearings countersunk therein and which pant of the chair, while, at thesame time, reductherefore does not require the provision of special ingthe total amount of energy required on the 30 bearing surfaces; thisstationary member cooperp rt of the occupant in order to reach thedesired ates with a specially shaped and concaved memti ted position.Such an arrangement also causes ber attached to or forming p Of e c airframe the end (maximum tilted) position to be apitself incontradistinction to general practice in preached relatively slowly and,hence, more safely, this art. and, therefore, the change in positionbecomes Other and furthe Obje ts d dv a s more pleasing and satisfactoryto the chair occuside in the various combinations, sub-combinapant thanif the reverse were true as in certain tions, and details hereinafterdescribed and prior tr ti claimed and which wi b either HhdeIStOOd yOperatively associated with each such shaped those skilled in this artor pointed out hereinafter. member I6 is a stationary foot member I9.This 40 In the acco p y drawing wherein I have member has an uppersurface or edge 20 which is illustrated a preferred embodiment of mypresent lightly convex and which is generally compleinvention: mentaryto the concave under-surface I8 of Figure 1 is a fragmentary p p e VleW0f a shaped member l6. At the points designated by 5 chair embodying theprese the numerals 2|, the stationary base member is Fig. 2 is a sideelevational view of the parts of partially cut away to form a pair ofspaced re- Fig. 1 without the hou face plate and Showing cesses, andeach such recess is less in its transthe tilted position of certain ofthe parts in dotted verse dimension than the width of the stationarylines; base member so as to produce two generally semi- Fig. 3 isabottomview of the structure of Figs. 1 circular ribs or flanges 22. Each suchrib or 50 and 2; and flange is provided with a cut-out portion 23 dis-Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the posed in alignment witheach other. stationary member. Disposed in each such recess 2| in eachsuch The construction of chairs of the upholstered, stationary footmember I9 is a transverse bearing overstuffed or club type is well knownand needs support 24 which is preferably in the form of 66 a shortsection of pipe or solid rod. The external diameter of each pipe or rod24 is substantially equal to the internal length of each cut-out portion23 and the pipe or rod preferably projects slightly above the upper edgeof each rib or flange 22. Such pipe or rod 24 may be suitably secured inplace by any desired fastening instrumentality, for which purpose therod or pipe may be transversely apertured or bored to provide a passagefor a spike, screw, or the like 25. Rotatively mounted on each such pipeor rod 24 is a cylindrical bearing member 26 which is adapted to roll onthe continuous bearing surface l8 formed on the under-side of the shapedmember in response to occupant-controlled positioning of the chair.

Disposed on the concave under surface 21 of each stationary foot memberI9 is a triangularly shaped block or stop member 28 which has theconfiguration shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This member is secured to thestationary foot member I9 by suitable screws or the like 29 which holdit firmly in place. The forward portion of the triangularly shapedmember has a short sloping portion 30 such as to act as a wedge inconjunction with the transverse limiting member (H.

which is connected between side rail 10 and face plate 32 in such mannerthat it does not interfere in any way with tilting movement of the chairbut acts to limit relative tilting movement of the chair with respect tothe foot member IS in both directions. Rearward tilting of the chair islimited by contact between transverse stop member 3| and the wedge-likeportion 30 of the block member 28. When the chair is in its normal,upright position, the transverse stop mem,,- ber 3| comes into contactwith the under surface of the stationary foot member l9 (see Fig. 2) insuch manner as to give the chair, when in this position, substantiallythe rigidity, strength and immovability found in non-tilting chairs.Thus, at all times, a safe chair is provided which, when it is desiredto be used as a tilting chair, can be tilted backwardly but not to suchan extent as would be likely to cause the chair to overturn. Thus,within the limits of the tilting movement, the chair may be occupied andused with complete safety; and yet this is brought about in an extremelysimple and desirable manner not shared by prior constructions.

The structure is completed by the face plate 32 already referred towhich is secured to the shaped member I 6 by means of screws 33 or inany other suitable manner.

It will thus be apparent that I have provided a chair which is capableof being tilted by the occupant thereof and which is not only extremelysimple and inexpensive in its construction but which gives a new qualityof utility and service in connection with chairs of this type. Due tothe arrangement shown the number of members utilized is maintained at aminimum, thus lessening chances for breakage or maladjustment and, atthe same time, practically eliminating the necessity for ever makingrepairs but which, if required, can be made with a minimum of trouble.The provision of a housing, in effect, for the reclining constructionis, I believe, new and highly advantageous.

The above is presented as illustrative rather than limitative, and I maymake suitable additions, omissions, variations and substitutions Withoutdeparting from the spirit and principles hereof, and all such are deemedto be a part of this invention. Rather the invention is to be defined bythe subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Pat- 1 ent is:

In a chair of the kind described, a side rail, a shaped member securedto said side rail and having an under concave bearing surface, a faceplate substantially co-extensive with and secured

